#[[ and then they jolt you awake cause someone has to cover the downtown fight ]]

[apinklion01]

Trailing Along the Dark

Day Seventeen: Found Footage

A03 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34214308/chapters/86575726

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No Warnings this chapter!

Lance Thunder thought that doing news reports for a living would be easy. He got a job in a city in the midwest that didn’t have a lot going on aside from the occasional new highway or building. Hell, he managed to make an easy living where as long as he got the report done, he was free to do as he pleased.

Until roughly a year ago with the meat monster.

Lance thought it was some sort of hoax made up by teens as a practical joke, an opportunity for bragging rights. The moment the van pulled in to see the area covered in patties, ribs, and flies, however, that’s when the news reporter realized this would only be the beginning.

Several months later, the news had escalated from near accidents and yearly elections to battles in the center of town, ghosts interrupting shopping venues, and a near apocalypse on Halloween. To say Lance wanted at least a three day break from the supernatural activity was an understatement.

Today he would have to settle for covering something normal: Vlad Masters, a known millionaire, opening the newly refurbished football field and training area.

It only lasted for 20 minutes, but all Lance had to do was watch his cameraman, Esteban Sanchez, record the event, and then ask a few quick questions before the event wrapped up.

Lance helped him carry back some equipment back to the van. It was the least he could do for the newest member of channel 14 Action News.

Esteban was quite skillful with capturing footage and editing. Right after they came back to the station, he went right to work on splicing the scenes together and having it ready for the TV coverage. Lance couldn’t help but admire his dedication.

He was scrolling through his social feed when his coworker yelped.

“Dios mio… hey jefe?” Esteban called to him. “Yeah Esteban?”

“I think you might want to check this out.”

Lance took a quick slurp from his Starbucks drink before walking over to the monitors where Esteban sat. He was somewhat grateful he did cause what he saw would’ve made him spat out the coffee.

On the monitor was a small piece of footage that Esteban was working on. However, whenever the focused on Mr. Masters for more than ten seconds, the screen glitched as if it were a cassette from the 90s, and it gained an eye-straining glare. Even his face seemed to distort to a ghostly appearance with pale blue skin and red eyes.

“..You sure no ghost messed with the equipment?”

Esteban nodded. “Even checked with one of those spectrometers before the event started. Sounds even spookier when you hear the audio.”

He put it on speaker, and the hairs on Lance’s arms stood on end as it grew distorted briefly, right at the same time the screen glitched.

“...Do you think you could just cut them out?”

“Yeah, shouldn’t be any problem,” He confirmed. “Do you think we should tell somebody?”

“.. Nah, don’t think we should. Maybe it was one of those green jello ghosts that sometimes pop up while we’re filming at night.”

The cameraman didn’t appear entirely convinced, but went back to work anyway.

Lance couldn’t help but think if Mr. Masters was briefly possessed by a ghost, like the incident with a few teens and the mayor. Only if it were true, then who knows what powerful connections they could bend to their whim, both from humans and ghosts.

Maybe something as bad as the Halloween apocalypse...

The news reporter gave a sigh as he walked back to his desk. Maybe he was getting paranoid about dealing with paranormal activity, or woken up from ghost cats yowling around midnight at his home. Either way, a headache brewed in his mind.

[calumance]

Valentine’s Day

Listen, I got zero things for Valentine’s Day yesterday. So here’s a little something I thought about ALL day yesterday. 😊 

*********

           The alarm makes a horrible buzzing noise that jolts me awake. Through squinted eyes I look at the time. It’s takes a moment for my eyes to adjust before I can see that the clock says five. I cover my head with the blanket and groan. It’s still dark outside, and I still have to get up? This is just dumb. I throw the blanket off me and shut off the alarm still ringing through my ears. Before I trap myself by getting back in bed, I open the bedroom door and head straight for the bathroom. The bathroom light burns my eyes, so I keep them shut long enough for my eyes to adjust. Showers are the easiest way to wake myself up this early on a Friday. I find my balance after taking my pajamas off and hop in the shower.

           It’s fucking Valentine’s Day, I think to myself as I dry my face off with my towel. I hate this day, a day made up just so Hallmark can make some money after the holidays. I mean, sure, the boyfriend made us reservations tonight, but the restaurant is going to be packed, I still have to work all day, and have to listen how sappy everyone else’s significant other is while I work. A groan escapes my chest as I pull out the clothes I am wearing to work today and dress myself before walking to the next room to dry my hair and put on some make up.

           It snowed a couple of days ago, so traffic is terrible. It’s always terrible, though, it’s just extra terrible because of the ice the snow left behind. I turn up my radio so that something keeps my mind off the stop and go movement of the car. The song that comes on sounds familiar, and even after a couple years, it’s still weird to hear your boyfriends voice on the radio. I turn it up a little bit more and grab my phone to see if he’s texted. Nothing. The phone finds its home back on the passenger seat as I look back through the windshield.

           Most days it takes me twenty-five minutes to get to work, today it took me forty. I walk as quickly as possible into the office knowing that I am over fifteen minutes late. I get to my desk and greet everyone who is there already. I pull my jacket off and set it on the back of my chair as I get prepared to complete my to-do list before the weekend. As my work computer starts up I plug my headphones into my phone and put one earbud in. I open my email and groan at the amount of emails I have to respond to. After a deep breath, I get to work.

           As each of my co-workers trickle in, they talk about where they’re going for dinner, or what they got, I just check my phone in silence and continue to concentrate on my work. Just as I go to put my other earbud in my ear, I hear someone say my name. I turn towards the voice and hum in response, “is Calum in town this year for Valentine’s Day? 

           I think about shrugging and acting like I don’t know since I hate people at work knowing my personal business, I go against my better judgement, “Yeah, he is.” I smile a sheepish smile, and nod.

           “That’s great! Are you two doing anything special?” My boss asks responding to my answer.

           I sigh again, not in annoyance, just because I hate Valentine’s day. Not sure how clearer I could make that. “He made reservations at a restaurant downtown somewhere, I’m pretty sure that’s it.” I’m such an awkward conversation holder that my boss leaves it at that.

           Don’t get me wrong, I love my boyfriend with all of my heart, I just don’t think our love life is anyone business. I’ve grown to act like that all the time knowing that at any minute someone can sell that the press and I can see it on all over the internet the next day. I turn back to my computer and my other earbud in and continue cleaning the report I have to turn in by the end of the day. 

           My phone chimes a short chime interrupting my music. I sit back and look at the small screen to see a message from Calum. I unlock my phone and read it to myself, “Good morning, darling, sorry I didn’t text you earlier. It was a late night at the studio, I’m just so tired. How is work going?” 

           I put my pen down to text him back, “It’s fine, I have a bunch of stuff that I have to turn in before I leave, so I’m just trying to get everything done. Sorry to hear about your late night, can’t wait to see you late.” I lock my phone and continue to stare at the papers that have accumulated all over my desk.

           My eyes focus on a paper that looks a bit weird as I notice a figure coming up the stairs directly in front of my desk. My eyes flicker over the top of the paper, not expecting to see my boyfriend standing there. I put the paper down and pull my earbuds out, “Calum?” I notice all the girls I work with poking their heads out of their cubicles. I study him for a second, still surprised he’s here. He lifts his right hand a few inches to wave at me, a closed lip smile stretched across his face. He has flowers and a stuffed dog in his left hand. He has dark circles under his eyes showing the exhaustion from writing a new album. I stand up and walk around my desk to meet him on the other side.

           “I wanted to surprise you since I know you have been working really hard this week, so I woke up and went and got you some flowers and a stuffed puppy that reminded me of the dog you had when you were little.” He shakes the puppies head and I smile. God damn, Calum is cute.

           “Thanks, babe.” I take the puppy out of his hands and set it on my desk. “Let’s go find a vase for these flowers.” I take the flowers out of his hand and walk around him into the break room. I start opening cabinets to find a vase.

           I hear Calum clear his throat and I turn towards him. “I wanted to say sorry for being so distant lately.” He says with an obvious dry throat.

           I swallow hard remembering the fight we had a few nights ago. I had told him I felt selfish and that I didn’t mean anything I said to him. “I told you that we were okay, Calum. I was selfish to tell you that you were being distant, I mean you’re in the middle of writing an album, I shouldn’t have said any of those things.”

          He shakes his head and me and puts his hands on my shoulders, “No, no, you were right. I am being distant, and writing should not be an excuse to give you all of the attention you deserve. I feel like we’re losing each other and it’s all my fault.”

          I pull my eyebrows together in confusion, “Losing each other? I didn’t know you felt like that?” I shrug my shoulders and watch him drop his hands to his side. His Adam’s Apple bounces as he swallows, obviously nervous to have this conversation.

         He says nothing, so I turn, continuing to look for a vase to put the flowers in. As I’m digging through a cabinet he puts his hands on my hips and turns me toward him, “I just want you to know that I am going to make everything up to you tonight.” His places his lips on mine. The lips that I have loved since day one. The lips that always make my knees buckle. The lips that even in the heat of every fight causes every ounce of anger melt away. Damn, I loved him.

           I pulled my lips off his and ran my finger along my bottom lip. He smiled, knowing that I loved everything about his kisses, and then let me finish finding a vase.

           We walked out of the break room together, flowers now equipped with a vase. “So, I’ll, uh, see you later then.” He said while rubbing his left hand up and down the back of his neck. I nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips before he turned and walked back down the stairs, leaving me with just eyes glued on me. I walked back around my desk and plopped myself in my chair setting the stuffed puppy up so I could look at it for the rest of the day.

           “That was really nice of him!” A voice from behind me says.

           I smile again and look at my flowers for a second, “Yeah, he’s a good guy.”